They Demand To Investigate Activities Of Belarusian 'Smuggling King' In Ukraine

He is accused of links with Lukashenka.

The Uzhhorod City and District Court of the Transcarpathian region ordered the regional Investigation Department of the National Police to launch a pre-trial investigation to verify the facts set out in the statement by the Non-Stop NGO on the illegal trade in cigarettes and alcohol by businessman Arthur Grantz, a citizen of Belarus, Radio Liberty writes.

As activists of the NGO found out, during the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, Arthur Grantz became the "sole leader in the sale of cigarettes using Duty-Free systems". The organization called him the “Smuggling King”.

According to the Non-Stop NGO, Arthur Grantz is a beneficiary of the Ukrainian Duty-Free Trading LLC, which is engaged in the excise-free sale of cigarettes through the Duty-Free system.

The activists mentioned the checkpoint "Porubne — Siret" on the border with Romania in the case. In 2022, 4,252,700 packs of cigarettes were sold there — 25 packs for each citizen crossing the border.

As noted in the investigation of activists, the company of Arthur Grantz processed the sale of cigarettes for citizens crossing the border, but in fact sold tobacco to smugglers who further sold the goods in the European Union.

According to the Non-Stop organization, Arthur Grantz owned duty-free shops at Kyiv's Boryspil and Zhuliany airports, as well as at other airports in Ukraine.

"Only in November-December 2020, duty-free shops at Kyiv Airport (Zhuliany) "sold to the passengers, formally, according to the files, 530,584 blocks of cigarettes — 23 blocks for each person. In fact, people did not even know that they “purchased” cigarette boxes. At the same time, these tobacco products were delivered to illegal outlets in Ukraine, where they were sold for cash," the investigation of the public organization said.

A similar scheme was used in the sale of alcoholic beverages — excise tax was not paid, since formally the products were allegedly exported abroad.

According to activists, Artur Grantz owns more than 35 duty-free shops in Belarus and "has a partnership with the Lukashenka's Affairs Department, on the basis of which it can be assumed that the businessman is a partner of Lukashenka."

Activists claim that Arthur Grantz has Belarusian citizenship, and his two sons, David and Arman, live in the Moscow region and own several trading companies, such as Avangard LLC and Mika Holding LLC. Their brother Maren Grantz, who owns Mag-Inter LLC, also lives there and does trade business.

Arthur Grantz is the ultimate beneficiary of 12 Ukrainian companies, some of which are registered in Cyprus, according to activists, “to avoid taxes and withdraw money obtained from the implementation of criminal schemes.”

In 2020, through one of these companies, Arthur Grantz became the owner of the Ukrainian magazine Forbes.

Based on its case files, the organization appealed to several Ukrainian courts with a request to check the "illegal registration" of the sale of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages for persons crossing the border in the direction of European countries.

Arthur Grantz was born in Ukraine. After the collapse of the USSR, his parents moved to Belarus, where he graduated from the Belarusian State University.

In Ukraine, he lived on the basis of a residence permit, but in 2021 he left Ukraine for Spain, where he has real estate.

According to Ukrainian media, Arthur Grantz has a reputation as a successful and sustainable businessman. He has not commented publicly on such allegations.

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